Enrollment FAQs

Who is eligible to attend?  Metro Arts and Tech is open to students coming from any Bay Area city.  There are no residency requirements to attend.  Students will be considered for admission without regard to ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, or achievement level or any other characteristic described in Education Code Section 220.

What documents do I need to submit when I apply? Applicants to the 9th grade need to submit the Metro application (3 pages, online or paper).  Applicants to 10th, 11th or 12th grade must also submit their high school transcripts and discipline records.

Can I apply as part of the SFUSD application process?   No. Metro’s enrollment process is completely separate from SFUSD. If you are applying to SFUSD high schools, do not list Metro as one of your choices on the District’s enrollment form.

Can I apply to both Metro Arts and Technology and City Arts and Technology (CAT) using the same application?  No.  Students may apply to both Metro and CAT, but must submit a separate application directly to each school.  Metro and CAT select their students using separate lotteries.

How does Metro select its students?  9th graders are selected by lottery. 10th and 11th graders are accepted after a review of their current transcripts and an interview with a member of the administration team.

If I apply, am I guaranteed a spot?  No. Metro Arts and Tech is a small school with a limited number of spaces in each grade level. When you apply for 9th grade you are entered into a lottery from which the 9th grade class will be chosen. If you are applying for 10th or 11th grade, the number of available spaces will depend on how many of our current students plan to return for the following year.

If I am offered a spot, how long will I have to decide?  Students must confirm their intent to attend within a month after they are first offered a spot. A “Confirmation Form” will be included with the Offer Letter; this form can be returned by mail, email or in person.  Students who apply after the application deadline and are offered a spot may have a shorter window of time in which to decide.

What happens if I miss the 9th grade application deadline?  If there are still spaces available in the 9th grade class, we can still offer spaces to late applicants.  If there are no spaces available, your application will be added to the Wait List.  Wait List applicants are then admitted as spaces become available.  In the past, students added to Metro’s Wait List have had a good chance of gaining admittance, but we still recommend applying as early as possible.

Is there an entrance examination?  No.

Are there any preferences given to students in the lottery process? Yes. Preference in the lottery is given to the following groups:

1. Children of Envision Schools staff and Board members;
2. Siblings of children already attending Metro;
3. All other students who reside within the boundaries of San Francisco Unified School District;
4. Students who reside outside SFUSD.

What documents do I need to provide when I enroll? Once you have been offered and have accepted a spot, you will need to provide a copy of the student’s birth certificate and most recent vaccination records (including the TDAP whooping cough vaccination), along with the complete Metro Arts and Tech enrollment packet.  The enrollment packet will be provided at the 9th Grade Welcome Event (usually held in April) and is also available in the main office.

Does Metro admit students during the middle of the school year?  Metro will accept mid-year transfers if there is space available.  Please call us at (415) 550-5920 and speak with Isela in the main office if you are interested in transferring in the middle of the year.  You can also click here for more details about 10th, 11th and 12th grade transfers.

Does Metro have a separate enrollment process for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)?  There is no separate application process for students with IEPs.  However, we request that any student with an IEP submit a copy of their most recent IEP once they have been accepted to the school.

If Metro admits students using a lottery, why is an application required? There are several reasons Metro requires an application. As a school of choice, Metro Arts and Tech wants to ensure that students use the application process as a way to decide if Metro is right for them. Also, the information listed on the application helps us to get to know students, their particular needs and pertinent personal and family information.

Do I have to be “good” at Arts and Technology to attend?  No, absolutely not! Our teachers use art and technology as tools for expression and engagement in the classroom. A student might use art to demonstrate understanding of principles or geometry, or create a video on iMovie to show what they have learned in Social Studies.  Most students who attend Metro do not have special talents in arts or technology, but enjoy using them as tools for showing what they know.